Monthly Archives: December 2013

*In this late-night feature – which will run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week – I’ll gather up three fun items that are currently on sale online and share them with you! I would LOVE suggestions: Stylish wide-width pumps? Classic v-necked sweaters? Chandelier earrings? Petite dress slacks? What would you like to see featured?*

I’m not familiar with this brand myself, but it’s a Canadian brand and most of the Canadian snowboot brands that get picked up by the big online shoe retailers DO NOT PLAY when it comes to snowboot construction. This pair gets high ratings for comfort and warmth, though do check reviews for info on sizing. Available in brown, black, and this taupe in US sizes 6 – 11, sold out in 10. Size availability varies by color.

When I think “winter boots,” I generally think of snow boots … but that’s not the case for everyone. Winter is different everywhere, and many folks are seeking weatherproof boots that are still stylish enough for office or everyday wear. And for those folks I have one word: Timberland. Sadly, although this brand creates some D width shoes, they don’t do wide calf tall boots. But they are the only company I’ve found that makes waterproof and weatherproof boots that are utterly gorgeous to look at and totally comfy to wear. I just got these in the mail (my beloved cognac boots do NOT fare well in wet, winter weather) and I’m in love. The pair above is also from the Earthkeepers line, and will work beautifully in business casual environments. Available in brown and black in US sizes 5.5 – 11 including a few wide footbed sizes. Size availability varies by color.

I know that finding wide-calf winter boots can be tough, and what I generally recommend is to find slightly lower shaft and/or lace-up styles. These Kamiks are 15″ wide, and can lace a bit wider as needed. These pups have a temperature rating of -25° F/ -32° C and since we had a 20-below windchill in Minneapolis today, I’m rather tempted by them myself! Available in US sizes 6 – 11 in black and dark brown. Size availability varies by color.

Other not-currently-on-sale resources for winter boots:

Timberland – I’m gonna repeat myself down here, I know, but want to make sure you folks explore these brands in addition to the styles I’ve selected for the evening. Timberland is the only company on my radar that consistently creates stylish, nearly work-appropriate boots that are also water- and weatherproof. Also check Zappos and 6pm for deals.

Sorel – Ruggedly stylish and extremely durable. Some styles aren’t ideal for walks longer than half an hour or so as they scrunch down in the shaft and can cause blisters. These are great commuter boots, though.

It’s been a while since I did a necklace pile, but once I got going with this outfit it was hard to stop. Everything else felt marvelously tomboyish, so gobs of rhinestones created the perfect balance. I wore this for a cozy girls’ night in chatting with a dear friend.

Hope you’ve got some fun New Year’s Eve plans coming up, or if 2014 has already arrived where you live, that you’re enjoying a relaxing New Year’s Day off of work!

Related Posts

Since I only post three outfits each week, I end up photographing many more than are seen on the blog. (And, of course, I wear plenty of stuff that I don’t have the time or inclination to photograph OR post! Life and blog do, in fact, diverge.) Some of those photos end up in the newsletter, but many more end up in a purgatory I’ve called “seconds,” which basically means, “I don’t think I like this … but I’m gonna come back to it later and decide.”

I don’t think a single outfit has ever made it from the “seconds” folder onto the blog. I should just re-label it “duds.”

And since I’ll be publishing a list of my favorite posts from the past year in a couple of days, I thought I’d take this opportunity to show you how frequently I wear things that just don’t work. Here are some of 2013’s outfit duds:

This falls under “looked SO cute in person …” That drapey metallic top is wonderful in motion, but wow does it look weird here. Also will probably work better when it’s warm enough to wear with a tank instead of sleeves that peek out awkwardly.

I love that necklace so much, but man it can really look like a lei sometimes. A glowing neon lei.

I’m not sure if I grew several inches or just got older, but this dress was given to a friend after I saw this outfit shot. It’s so cute, but it’s so SHORT. Passable with tights, but still shorter than I’d like for modesty and proportional reasons.

Still haven’t mastered the curly look for my short hair, and it can look extremely poofy on day two. Oh, so poofy and strangely heart-shaped.

I saw this combo – cornflower blue, leopard, and dusty red – in a J.Crew catalog and became obsessed with re-creating it. Somehow their version seemed less blocky, more seamlessly related. Also that bag isn’t quite right, methinks.

So close! But I got really hung up on the green legs. GREEN, GREEN LEGS. That sweater got donated shortly after this for being seriously hard to style. Too short to wear with pants, and just a wee bit too boxy to work with most skirts.

This outfit eventually became this outfit, which works far better. The blazer is a bit too long and loose to work here.

I have a pin of an outfit with pale yellow, mint, and gray that I kept coming back to … and yet this was as close as I came to making the combo work in real life. Proportions are a bit off – if the cardi was longer it would have been better.

I can’t really put my finger on what’s wrong here. I love the colors, but something is just slightly off. Might be the boots, which seem somehow incongruous color-wise.

I wanted to make those capris work, but they hit at just the wrong spot. And pairing them with sandals that cut me at the ankle didn’t help matters any.

There wasn’t anything in the “seconds” file that was so hideous and embarrassing that it made me truly cringe. The vast majority were outfits that didn’t photograph as well as they wore, had one element that was somehow out of whack, or that looked slightly wrong but for vague, unidentifiable reasons. And lest you misunderstand, this is NOT me beating myself up. This is me showing you that I don’t know everything, that I am still learning, that I have “off days.” Just like you. And everyone.